


Only Half of What You See

by BlauWolf124



Category: Grimm (TV), Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Grimm Canon-Typical Violence possible in later chapters, RT Grimm!AU, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:25:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlauWolf124/pseuds/BlauWolf124
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rooster Teeth has been a haven for Wesen of all kinds since its inception, encouraging cooperation, equality, and friendship between species. Of course to humans it's just a bunch of dudes playing video games and putting out awesome content, and if Geoff's being honest, that's really all they are. Because who the fuck cares if you're a Grimm or a Blutbaden or an ordinary human when you're balls deep in a game of CoD?</p>
<p>At least that's what he likes to tell himself, until they accidentally hire a human and everything goes to shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> And so begins the Rooster Teeth Grimm AU Fic that I've had in mind for a while! Species list and sketches for the AH 6 can be found in the end notes.
> 
> I'm still not sure if this fic will have any pairings really, though it might in later chapters? There is a good chance for Grimm-canon-typical violence later on as well. Appropriate tags for both (along with characters and such) will be added as the fic progresses.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with the Grimm series, people known as Wesen have the ability to temporarily transform (or Woge) into animal hybrid type creatures, usually when they feel they need to defend themselves or fight. These people often exhibit personality traits and behaviors associated with their Wesen species even when in human form (for example rodent Wesen tend to be timid or shy), and many Wesen are known for extreme violence. When stressed, startled, or strongly emotional a Wesen may transform in a way that is invisible to normal humans, but that can be seen by Grimms.
> 
> Grimms are historically known for killing Wesen of all types and recording information on their encounters with different species. They usually view their role as protectors of normal humans, however most will kill before waiting to find out if the Wesen was peaceful or dangerous. This has earned them an extremely negative reputation among Wesen, and reactions to finding a Grimm range from terror to unhesitating violence. It IS possible for Grimms and Wesen to get along, especially if they hold non-traditional views.
> 
> I recommend Googling the various species to get a feel for them if you aren't familiar. Species names are in the end notes.
> 
> Enjoy :)

Wesen had survived for centuries, millennia, by sticking to their traditions in a world that was undoubtedly filled with things that wanted them dead. Has your species survived as long as it has by sacrificing human children every full moon? Awesome. Eating live toads to help manipulate your way out of sticky situations? Good. Need to dissolve human organs and consume them like a smoothie to stay young and alive? Sure, fine. Everyone's got their thing. Whatever the fuck it is they stick to when everything else has gone to shit because staying alive is the only priority.

But a lot has changed since the dark ages of circa literally forever ago, and Geoff's long decided that the Grimm tradition of beheading every fucking thing in existence as a means to survival can go take a flying leap because maybe, just maybe, the first step to a happier and less violent world is to stop murdering your neighbors.

\------------

It's only been a week, and already it's crystal clear that Michael and Ray fit perfectly into his growing little branch of Rooster Teeth. Despite the drastically different natures of his four Wesen boys they've taken to each other like they'd been lifelong friends. AHWUs become sillier and sillier as weeks pass, and Geoff smiles fondly out the door as the lads nab the camera and sprint from the room, hollers and cheers of 'LADS ACTION NEWS' disappearing down the hall with them.

"A jaguar, and eagle, and a goat. If I weren't seeing it with my own eyes I'd never have believed you," Jack says from somewhere beside him, following his fond gaze.

"Yeah. It's like the start of a bad joke."

"Does that make us the punchline?"

Geoff lets out an almost-sarcastic laugh. "Probably."

Silence stretches on comfortably between the two as they each return to what they'd been doing before starting the week's AHWU. Geoff's a good way through the day's editing when Jack gives a short 'hm' to get his attention.

"I... think we should bring in sixth person. More our age, you know, round out the numbers a bit," Jack says. His words are ponderous and noncommittal, just throwing the idea out there, but Geoff nods seriously. The thought of adding someone else to Achievement Hunter had crossed his mind on more than one occasion, and there was one candidate he'd had in mind for a while, a man currently being considered for an RT tech job. Geoff had interviewed him himself and found Ryan to be personable and enjoyable to be around. He'd been enthusiastic about the job, and at just a year older than Jack he'd be a perfect fit for what Jack had envisioned.

The thing was, Geoff couldn't piece together exactly what species Ryan was. He assumed maybe Dämonfeuer at first, or perhaps something more secretive like a Zauberbiest (the thought alone is startling with how rare they are, and the Grimm passes the idea off as quickly as it comes), and for whatever reason he can't seem to pry the information out of Ryan.

It's his only hangup with the man, and the reason he's only brought on as tech support when he's first hired. He edits videos, he does tech guy stuff, more people get to know him and befriend him, and everything is going smoothly. It's a month in and Geoff's all but ready to ask him to join Achievement Hunter despite still not knowing the man's species, the Grimm deciding he doesn't particularly care, when someone in the office finally puts the puzzle together.

Ryan isn't Wesen. He isn't a Grimm. He's just a regular ordinary human being. A regular guy with no knowledge of the Wesen world, on the payroll of a company consisting exclusively of Wesen.

Geoff about has a heart attack. Even as a Grimm that doesn't give a fuck about any of it, he still knows not to fuck with Wesen laws. Keeping shit under wraps is crucial and one of the only reasons RT is still running despite being so visible in the media. They're careful. They keep their employees safe; keep anything related to their Wesen activities on the down-low.

Having a human in their midst could fuck up everything, but they can't just fire Ryan either. He's made friends here and has been doing an exceptional job all around. Letting him go would look suspicious, and if he ever found out he could claim to have been discriminated against due to his species. When Geoff talks to Burnie, the Pflichttreue agrees with him solemnly. They won't fire him, but they quickly pass word around the office to keep things quiet, to be more careful about the subject, avoid Woging as best they could until they could find a safe way to handle the situation.

Once the initial panic finally settles down, everything more or less returns to normal. Ryan becomes more and more a part of the RT crew, befriends and charms everyone in the company that uses a computer. Despite everything he manages to make himself at home.

Almost a year after they originally hired Ryan and the AH crew is still sitting at five people.

Geoff talks to the boys, and they all agree.

It's time to invite Ryan in.


	2. Chapter 2

The sounds of violent yelling and swearing could be heard through the entire building it seemed as Ryan made himself coffee in the break room. Almost everyone had left for lunch, abandoning the halls around the AH office in favor of quieter places to eat, and normally Ryan would be out with them. But for whatever reason he'd decided to stay in today. Maybe he just wasn't that hungry, maybe he just didn't feel like going out. Or at least that's what he would tell anyone that bothered to ask.

Really, though, his burning curiosity was finally getting the better of him. Since before he was hired there had been an official-unofficial rule of sorts that no one was to enter the room when Michael recorded a Rage Quit. When Ryan had first started out he just accepted it, knowing it wasn't his place to question policies, official or otherwise. As he got to know everyone better he began to assume it was simply that no one wanted to face Michael in such a state of undiluted fury. And perhaps that was at least half true.

But when he asked others about it, the conversation became awkward immediately and Ryan couldn't place why. It was as though he'd stumbled upon a secret that he wasn't supposed to know about, or had committed some form of social faux pas. He had stopped asking as there was clearly something wrong with the question, but it didn't stop his curiosity and imagination from running amok. Did Michael prefer to play Rage Quits naked? Did he become drastically more violent to the point of posing a threat to those nearby? Would he become the Hulk if someone else were nearby?

His feet carried him through the abandoned halls and offices, steadily closing in on the source of the noise. Ryan chuckled quietly to himself as a brief period of silence was followed by an especially loud 'FUCK'. He ducked against the wall as he approached the windowed door to the AH office, aiming for stealth despite his bulkier frame and severe lack of other people to see him. The gent steeled himself, breathing as quietly as he could as all the hundreds of possibilities he'd come up with over the last year flickered through his head. He couldn't help feeling a little childish as he peeked cautiously through the window, part of him fully expecting to find Michael deeply entrenched in a game, hunched over and snarling at the screen, hands stabbing at keys on his keyboard or perhaps violently mashing buttons on a controller.

What he found instead was not Michael, but some darkly furred, spotted creature that looked in many ways like the lad standing in the middle of the room, eyes tightly closed, shoulders scrunched up and breathing deeply as though in an attempt to calm down. It wore Michael's clothing, down to his glasses and shoes and it even bore his curly head of red hair. Ryan found himself horrified but transfixed, unable to tear his eyes away until the creature uncurled its tightly fisted hands (paws?) to reveal long dagger-like claws, its body steadily relaxing, eyes like liquid gold sliding open. Fear finally overtook fascination and Ryan ripped his head away from the window, breathing too fast, heart racing. He could only pray he hadn't been seen. He slid down the wall by the door, eyes wide as he tried desperately to process what he'd just witnessed.

When the door didn't open, and no further threat to his life seemed imminent, Ryan's mind finally seemed to catch up. Large predatory animal, probably feline. Leopard? Was Michael some sort of were-leopard? Was that even a thing? A shape shifter? What could even scientifically explain this?

Michael's voice jarred him from his thoughts and made him jump, only to realize that the screamed "MOTHER FUCKER" had come from inside and was not directed at him. With even more caution than before Ryan peered back through the window to find Michael back at his desk, completely normal and human, the leopard creature gone.

Ryan stared down at the floor beside him for a while longer before dragging himself back to his feet and beginning the trek back to the break room.

Maybe the coffee and lack of food that morning had gotten to him. Maybe he'd seen one too many pictures of that new part-animal AU in the fandom where Michael was a cat. Maybe Gus had put something in the coffee.

Whatever it was, it certainly could not be that he'd just seen Michael, red-headed Jerseyite human gamer and close friend, turn into a humanoid leopard.

Absolutely not.

...Right?


	3. Chapter 3

He's about to go fucking insane if this shit doesn't stop soon.

\---

Geoff hollers "GOOO!" and the five men are on their feet instantly, moving to find the games they need from the shelf. Gavin gets there first and snatches up something Michael doesn't care about, followed by Jack who pulls the game that was next to Gavin's. Michael’s shoulder brushes Ryan's as they both make it to the shelf, hands colliding briefly when they both reach for the same game. The older man suddenly isn't in his space anymore and Michael thinks nothing of it as he grabs his intended game uncontested and single-mindedly returns to his desk. The red head pays no mind to the odd look that flickers over Ray's face, assuming he's just confused by Michael's unusual game choice or perhaps that he and Ryan both had it in mind.

Jack wins the GO!, Michael just a hair's breadth behind him, and he lets out a frustrated growl as Jack gets takes his victorious walk over to the sticker board. Ray has that odd look on his face again, but Michael's too busy wallowing in his loss to care.

\---

The next day Michael finds himself chatting with Lindsay by her desk. The conversation is comfortable and light, mostly a trade of joking banter with an occasional detour into actual topics of interest. Ryan is at his desk a couple feet away, but his headphones are on and he appears to be deep into editing so Michael ignores him for the time being.

"If I may ask, what games do you have lined up for the next couple Rage Quits?"

"I... can't remember exactly what the fans wanted me to waste my time with next. It was between a couple shitty indie titles with terrible reviews I think. Why?"

"Oh, just wanted to remind you that the Impossible Game is coming out with a new level soon."

There's a brief moment of utter horror that flickers through Michael's gut at the prospect of attempting a whole 'nother level of perhaps the most infuriating game he's ever had the misfortune to play. He thinks back to the last time he had to sit through that bullshit... Only to remember that that was just two months ago and the new levels are released annually. Lindsay is snickering evilly by the time it dawns on him.

"Oh God you fucking believed me there for a second!" she manages between laughs, "You should've seen your fucking face, Jesus!"

Michael snarls indignantly and makes a fruitless attempt to defend himself over her giggling. "Let's watch you sit through that fucking traumatic experience of a game and see how you react! God!" But Lindsay is still laughing and okay yeah his outright panic was a little funny and now he's laughing too. "You fucking asshole." he says without any heat, the conversation now devolved into uncontrollable breathless laughter.

He doesn't remember when Ryan disappeared from the room but he's gone without a trace when Michael finally turns to leave, the editing program still open on the computer but obscured by the bubbles of his screensaver.

Michael sees the absolute bare minimum of Ryan for the entire following week. The man suddenly has somewhere to be at all times; never lingering after Lets Plays, always disappearing at lunch, never at his desk when he visits Lindsay, and whenever Michael wants to talk to him he always has an excuse ready to get him out of it immediately.

He asks the others if they've noticed the mysterious disappearance of Ryan too, and although they do mention his rapid departure after Lets Plays, none have noticed it to nearly the degree Michael has. Geoff has this odd look on his face, a lot like what he'd glimpsed on Ray's face the week prior. No one says anything else on the subject, though, simply agreeing that the behavior is unusual and that perhaps Ryan really has just been busier.

But it keeps happening, and not knowing why is beginning to piss Michael off.

Ryan is absent for the VS that day. Geoff claims he went home sick and that he likely won't be in tomorrow either. Ryan was supposed to challenge Michael, and instead Gavin hastily throws something together in GTA and wipes the floor with him. The red head makes no excuses for the loss, just congratulates his boi on his win and hands the trophies over to the victorious ziegevolk.

\---

It occurs to him around noon the next day that it's a Rage Quit day, and something in his brain manages to connect that fact with Ryan's mysterious absence.

He quickly shoots off a clipped text to Ryan as people filter out of the building for lunch.

Hey asshole. We need to talk.

\---

Michael doesn't get a reply. At all. He's sitting at his desk the next day, just starting to worry that the man was actually sick and maybe died, when Ryan waltzes into the AH office just in time for them to start the day's Minecraft Lets Play.

Michael goes out of his way to kill Ryan a few more times than were strictly necessary, trying hard to contain his frustration and mostly failing.

Ryan once again makes a move to leave as soon as filming ends, but this time Michael is quick to cut him off.

"I need to go catch up on editing-" he mumbles out, trying to edge by Michael. 

Michael isn't having any of it. "No! You know what Ryan, you don't. You don't because I did most of it for you yesterday for just this reason. What you need to do is fucking tell me why you're fucking avoiding me!" he can feel his anger rising with each word, and Ryan visibly flinches, taking a step back and refusing to meet Michael's gaze. "Every fucking day for the last two weeks, it's 'I need to go edit' this or 'I wanted to catch up on' that, or 'I need to be literally anywhere other than here'! You won't talk to me, won't play VS with me, won't even fucking look at me!" Ryan is visibly cowering now, but Michael isn't about to stop.

"What the fuck did I-!" Michael starts, but suddenly Geoff is standing in front of him, hands firm on the Yaguaraté's shoulders, eyes-

A soul-sucking pitch black. A leopard mere moments from striking snarls back at him from the depths of Geoff's eyes and Michaels' widen as fear and understanding punch him in the gut.

He was seconds from Woging. His eyes had probably already turned gold.

Several long, tense moments pass, eyes locked with Geoff's, before he realizes that the other is trying to talk to him.

"Hey, are you back, buddy? Still with us? Come on buddy, come back."

"...yeah. Yeah Geoff." He casts his eyes down, shame creeping into his heart. Ryan is gone from the room. Geoff gives a consolatory smile and runs his hands along Michael's arms soothingly. "Hey, it'll be fine, yeah? And I think I might've just figured out what was wrong with Ryan."

There's a scoffed laugh from across the room. "Yeah, you bloody think?!"

Geoff lets out an exasperated sigh. "I'll talk to him. Just- try not to go near him til I do, alright?" They all nod their agreement.

"Just gotta hope we haven't fucked this up too bad already..." Geoff mutters as he returns to his desk.

**Author's Note:**

> Species thus far: Grimm!Geoff, Steinadler!Ray, Stangebar!Jack, Yaguaraté!Michael, Ziegevolk!Gavin, Pflichttreue!Burnie, Raub-Kondor!Joel, Luisant-Pêcheur!Kdin, Fuchsbau!Lindsay, Human!Ryan
> 
> Bust Sketches for each of the AH 6 can be found here, drawn by me:  
> http://bluestarwolf12.tumblr.com/post/110325745014/some-sketches-of-the-ah-main-6-for-my-in-progress
> 
> This is the first fic I've ever written, and it's been a long time since I've written anything besides the occasional essay for school, so comments and suggestions are welcome! :)


End file.
